Covers Better Than Originals

[Masterofreality]

Only a few of hundreds:

Jimi Hendrix- The Star Spangled Banner

Led Zeppelin- Gallows Pole (traditonal folk song)

Linda Ronstadt- Many- Mohammeds Radio and Hasten Down the Wind, (both from Warren Zevon) Many Rivers to Cross (from Jimmy Clift), Willin (from Lowell George/Little Feat) and White Rythm and Blues (from JD Souther).

Judy Collins- Tom Thumb's Blues (from Bob Dylan)

Byrds- My Back Pages (from Bob Dylan)

Joe Walsh- Rosewood Bitters (from Michael Stanley)

Brian Auger Oblivion Express- Season of the Witch (from Donovan)

Black Crowes- Hard to Handle (from Otis Redding)

John Lee Hooker- Red House (from Jimi Hendrix)

"What goes around....comes around"

[Kahns Krazy]

There are several covers that improve on the original, such as Hendrix's Watchtower and Clapton's Heaven's Door (I have heard that Dylan even prefers Clapton's version) but my favorites all fall around the cover being substantially different than the original.

My favorites:

Gin and Juice (Snoop Dogg) by The Gourds (often mis-attributed as several copies were mislabeled during the early Napster days). I have seen the local group Big Whiskey perform a very similar arrangement.

Word Up (Cameo) by Willis

Hey Ya (Outkast) by Obadiah Parker

In truth, I bet most of the best covers are performed live and very few get to hear them.

Incidentally, Guns n Roses version of Knockin on Heaven's Door and Ugly Kid Joe's version of Cat's in the Cradle tie for my most hated covers.

[Smails]

CAKE'S covers of "I will survive" and "War Pigs" are fantastic

Nirvana's cover of "Man who sold the world" is strong

Sill a fan of Van Halen's "Prett Woman"

There was a Zepplin cover on the "Singles' soundtrack that I listened to in college a lot...sadly enough I can't remember the song or the band...but it was all women I believe. Shredded too many brain cells from 92-96

[chico]

Has anyone mentioned Alien Ant Farm's version of Smooth Criminal? I love that song.

I also like Istanbul, not Constantinople by They Might Be Giants.

Another favorite is Let's Stick Together by Brian Ferry.

No list of remakes can be complete without Devo's Satisfaction and Sex Pistol's My Way. As good as the originals are ,those two are so completely different they're genius.

If any of you have iTunes, there is a radio station devoted to nothing but remakes (and remixes) - it's in the 70's/80's section. You can hear some real gems there - heard a great version of Bizarre Love Triangle but I have no idea who sang it.

[XUglow]

How could we forget this ditty from Paris?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk9b-YB0gr0

[Kahns Krazy]

I didn't know Istanbul (Not Constantinople) was a 20s swing song. Funny.

Now that I've heard the original, I have to say the TMBG version is better, but I doubt I would have liked it in the 20's.

Smails, the Zepplin song is "Battle of Evermore". As I said above, my preferred covers are when the artist takes their own take on the song, as opposed to trying to imitate the original. That one to me sounds like a couple of broads trying to be Zepplin. It's very good, but it doesn't add much to the original for me.

Another example of that is the Echo and the Bunnymen cover of "People are strange" that was on the Lost Boys soundtrack. Sounded like the Doors.

I need a copy of the Sex Pistol's My Way. Not sure I've heard that one.

[Fred Garvin]

The Pretenders version of "Stop your sobbing" tops The Kinks'.

MOr is a buffoon. Ronstadt's bersion of "Willing" can never top Lowell George's. That no talent LR has so many covers because she can't write a single tune. Oh right, she's a vocal stylist.

weed, whites and wine.

[Fred Garvin]

And American X better not talk that trash about Elvis Costello if KFX is around.

[xu95]

Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson. Heard it this morning on my Sirius Satellite Radio and forgot how good it was.

xu95

[Masterofreality]

The Pretenders version of "Stop your sobbing" tops The Kinks'.

MOr is a buffoon. Ronstadt's bersion of "Willing" can never top Lowell George's. That no talent LR has so many covers because she can't write a single tune. Oh right, she's a vocal stylist.

weed, whites and wine.

Correct. I'm a buffoon, but I can spell "version".

LR may be no talent, but she was hot as hell in the 1970's. Her lungs looked a lot better than Lowell's when she sang that in a low cut white dress. That made the cover better than the original.

weed, WHITES and wine!